From the time I became a country music fan, I have always appreciated Dierks Bentley. At first, my knowledge of his music did not go far beyond the songs I heard by him on the radio, but when I saw him in concert this past summer, I fell in love.

During his concert he sang his single “I Hold On,” which was to be released on the radio the very next day. I instantly took a liking to it and added it to my Spotify playlist the day after. After listening to it on repeat for a few days, I began to anticipate the release of the album that would eventually include the single.

Bentley released his seventh album “Riser” on Feb. 25 and luckily for me, it was available on Spotify (where I listen to all of my music) immediately. The album includes 12 songs including “I Hold On.”

This most recent album is Bentley’s most personal as it was written during a period in which his father passed away and his son was born, according to Billboard.com.

“Riser” made it to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country Albums chart the week of March 5. The album has accumulated a great amount of praise from reviews. USA Today gave it four out of four stars, and the Washington Times claims “Dierks Bentley is here to save country music” and that he “brings a much-needed creative heft to country music.”

“I love the songs ‘I Hold On’ and ‘Bourbon in Kentucky,’” Arts & Sciences sophomore Kari Welniak said. “They are great car songs.”

In another article on Billboard.com, Bentley states he “wanted the album to be heavier and a little darker.” The theme of “Riser” is Bentley “singing to a new reality” and can be found in songs such as “Here On Earth” and the song the album is named after, “Riser.”

Arts & Sciences sophomore Mike Hartnett detected this new feel to the album and found Bentley’s new songs to be “deep and soothing.”

To balance the slower pace and powerful emotional content in many of his new songs, he also includes fun upbeat songs such as “Drunk On A Plane” and “Back Porch.”

“’Drunk on a Plane’ is okay,” Welniak said. “It’s kind of annoying having the same beat throughout the entire song, but it’s still fun.”

Bentley will have a 2014 tour based off this album. The Riser tour will begin on May 9 in Charlotte, NC.